A firetruck, non-potable-water trucks and about a dozen private firefighters were stationed outside Rick Caruso’s home in Pacific Palisades on Sunday afternoon.
The firefighters said they represented five different private firefighting outfits and were hired by the Los Angeles real estate developer to protect his property and the surrounding neighborhood.
“And I heard there’s more coming,” said Laron Whitfield, a firefighter who said he arrived from Riverside on Friday with a company called Wildland. “He’s smart, he wants to be ready.”
Caruso is one of many owners of both residential and commercial properties who used private firefighters to help during the deadly firestorms, which overwhelmed L.A. firefighters.
Another firefighter said he was working a 48-hour shift protecting Caruso’s “house specifically but around it as well” and would be there until 9 a.m. Monday.
“And then I’ve got two dudes coming in to replace me and my partners,” he said.
His full-time job is with the Los Alamitos Fire Department, but with the fires raging since Tuesday, he said he contracted out his services for the first time while he was off duty. He was hired by a company called West Coast Water Tenders; the firm’s website says it provides “2,500-4,000-gallon tactical water trucks, grading equipment and mobile retardant bases.”
A third firefighter, who said his name was Shane, said that although things seemed calm in the neighborhood, which is south of Sunset Boulevard, “it’s just about being precautionary.”
They said their rates for private firefighting services depended on the contract, with one estimating he makes about $20 an hour on average.
Caruso, a 2022 L.A. mayoral candidate, owns several shopping centers including the Grove, the Americana in Glendale and Palisades Village, a retail-residential complex in the heart of the Palisades that was damaged in the fire but remains standing.
On Wednesday, he told the New York Times that he had deployed a private firefighting team to save the complex, which includes a movie theater, Erewhon grocery store, restaurants and retailers including Lululemon and Reformation.
A call to a representative for Caruso was not immediately returned Sunday afternoon.
Private firefighting units have been a controversial topic in recent years, becoming a symbol of access for the wealthy and drawing criticism for heightening class divides during disasters.
The firms say such services are a win-win: If a homeowner’s home is saved, the insurance company doesn’t have to make a hefty payout. Some are contracted by insurance companies and other times are hired directly by affluent homeowners.
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